And So It Ends. And So It Begins.

"And so it ends. And so it begins." - Ira Winderman

And So It Ends

Notes on the 1st-round ouster of the Heat:
1. Down 0-3 was such a big hole. That Game 3 Paul Pierce buzzer beater was a heartbreaker.
2. I really thought Wade could do this. But it seemed his whole season was epitomized by a desperation 3 with the game tied and lots of time left on the last possession of their ultimately last home game - he really did not get to the hole that much.
3. No one on the roster did get to the hole that much. To Boston's credit, their defense made the Heat a jump-shooting team and forced a lot of turnovers. Not an easy thing to do since the Heat are 2nd in the entire league in taking care of the ball during the entire regular season.
4. The thing that struck me most about this series was how much Kednrick "Perpetually-Pissed" Perkins and Glen "Ticket Stub" Davis outplayed JO, UD and Beasley. Really. Think about that for a moment.
5. Buti na lang Rasheed Wallace was playing for the Celtics, kung hinde, baka na-sweep pa ang Miami.
6. Buti naka isa (Game 4). At least, hindi na sweep.
7. With Miami out, who do I root for now in the East? Orlando? Cleveland? Ah alam ko na. The SPURS.


Ans So It Begins

So now the anticipation of Heat fans shifts to the offseason. No one really has any idea how this summer is going to turn out for this franchise. I'm reading really good articles regading how much more cap space the Heat will have over other teams. That Miami can sign 2 superstars and another all-star caliber player.
Yes, Lebron is the holy grail of free agents. But no one is really pegging him to leave Cleveland. Why would he? He's been there all his life and he has a winning team. So if the probable happens, and Lebron stays with Cleveland, I just hope that Riley signs the next best FA - Chris Bosh.
My personal FA priorities in order (no Bron) - Bosh, Boozer, Stoudemire. I really don't have anything good to say about Amare Stoudemire's defense. Be it post or help. In fact, he rarely plays it, that he's not just a liability, he's a weakness. Boozer, on the other hand, can only play the 4 but would be a much better fit, I think, with Miami's offensive and defensive strategies. Bosh meanwhile will be the best 1-2 punch partner to Wade not named Lebron. He can slide from 4 to 5 and will be the next celebrated big man in Pat Riley's history - from Kareem, Ewing, Mourning, to Shaq. I know that's a huge list, but Bosh will have that potential in Miami.
Here's hoping for the best. I have to say this again - In Riles we trust.

Win or Go Home Time

Notes at the end of the regular season:
1. Twelve games above 500 for Miami - way better than I expected.
2. Dwyane Wade's career FG% dropped a little this season, and at times seemed to be coasting on both O and D. But, you can't deny his greatness with almost single-handedly keeping Miami at the 5th spot.
3. This was supposed to be Michael Beasley's year. He showed flashes of offensive brilliance but never showed any grit or determination like Haslem. Come to think of it, if they can get an all-star caliber PG, PF or C for him - Miami should JUMP on it. Immediately.
3.a. On a side note regarding Beasley - his potential seemingly decreases as his NBA career advances: From draft day potential to current/realistic potential - from Shawn Kemp (Sonics) to Carmelo Anthony (offense only) to Glen "Big Dog" Robinson (Bucks) to Chris Gatling (Nets) to Corliss Williamson (Detroit/Kings) to Matt Freakin Bonner.
4. D-Wright is a good kid. He just makes bad decisions - DUI and the "sex" scandal. Can't believe he's known as mister-5-inches now. Ouch.
5. JO has been better than expected, I just hope his knees hold up in the playoffs.
6. If Wade is the absolute priority this offseason, an all-star PF/C should be next and resigning Haslem should be a very, very close third. Yes, he is that important.
7. The Rafer Alston experiment ended at the right time. Carlos Arroyo seemed to be real professional with the way his minutes were handled and how he proved to be a natural leader this side of Wade. I still believe in Mario Chalmers - even more so than Beasley, think about that for a second.
8. Strong way to end the season. Boston in Round 1. (I wanted Boston instead of ATL in the first round - I felt Wade and co. had a better chance with them old guys than Smoove and Crawford in a seven game series)
9. Seven games in Round 1 and the season will be a success. Reach the second round and Miami exceeds all expectations.
10. Playoffs, baby!

League-wide notes:
1. I can't believe a team as dysfunctional as Chicago made the playoffs. Sure they caught a few breaks towards the end of the regular season (Jamison elbow to Bosh face), but it just goes to show you Rose's brilliance and Noah's heart.
2. The Cavs are GOOD. Hopefully they don't win it all this year so Miami has a window for Lebron. Blech. I know, never gonna happen. I can dream, right.
3. The Spurs won 50 games, yep. But no one is really counting on them to win the championship much less reach the WCF. Duncan and the Spurs are my second favorite team. Although looking at Duncan, it seems that age has caught up to the best power forward to ever play the game. Hopefully he still has a few more productive years left and they make a splash at this year's playoffs.
4. I honestly believe that Gilbert Arenas is one stupid-@$$ mo-fo. Probably thought he could get away with it.
5. Kawawa ka naman, Greg Oden. Na-injure ka na, nagka scandal ka pa. Actually, dein. Hindi ka pala kawawa. "Anlaki" mong tao eh. Mas kawawa si Dorell "Mr. 5-Inches" Wright.

My Picks:

Regular Season MVP (in order)
1 - Lebron James
2 - Kevin Durant
3 - Dwyane Wade
4 - Dwight Howard
5 - Matt Bonner

DPOY - Dwight Howard
ROY - Tyreke Evans
COY - Scott Brooks
MIP - David Lee

All-NBA 1st:
D. Wade
K. Byrant
K. Durant
L. James
D. Howard

All-NBA 2nd:
S. Nash
J. Johnson
C. Anthony
D. Nowitzki
A. Bogut

All-NBA 3rd:
-wag na-

All-NBA Defense:
R. Rondo
D. Wade
G. Wallace
L. James
D. Howard